In Episode 18 of The Knock: Waking Up Van Life, we sit down with our guest Calista, who has been living in her sedan for the past three years while navigating serious health issues. Despite working and creating jewelry for her Etsy shop, she’s faced the same housing struggles so many Americans are experiencing today.

Her story shines a harsh light on the housing and homelessness crisis. After turning down her family’s offers to couch-surf, she later watched them become unhoused themselves, now living in a tent behind a shopping center while still holding jobs. Together, we dive into how rising rent, stagnant wages, and new policies are pushing vehicle dwellers and the working poor into even harder situations.

We also unpack the realities of van life that many creators won’t talk about:

• The criminalization of homelessness and the crackdown on vehicle dwellers.
• The shrinking access to BLM land and public spaces.
• Why “just go live on BLM land” is no longer a solution for van lifers.

And for the first time on our show, a guest shares how a pet sitting job turned into a nightmare! when a client solicited and physically assaulted Callista, forcing her to defend herself and involve law enforcement.

This is a raw, unfiltered conversation about van life solutions, survival, and the dangerous realities that too many face while trying to live in vehicles, car camp, or simply find safe shelter.

👉 Support Calista’s journey by checking out her Etsy & YouTube.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpQ7swF9Y2xRQe6ncCmjSCA

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/calistatravels

Other Links: https://linktr.ee/misscalihatter

More Ways to Listen to the Podcast: 

⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/theknockpod⁠

⁠Follow the hosts

🚐 Kyla – Don’t get Vanboozled! ⁠⁠

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Vanboozledvanlife

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/vanboozled⁠

Everything Else: https://beacons.ai/vanboozled

🚐 Bunny – Beyond the road, beyond the rules, beyond the 🐂 💩⁠ 

Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@bunnyandbeyond⁠

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bunnyandbeyond⁠Everything Else: ⁠https://linktr.ee/bunnyandbeyond

🚐 Vanlife isn’t always sunsets and freedom, sometimes the hardest part is just finding a safe place to sleep.With public lands closing, overcrowded campsites, and rising city restrictions, overnight parking for vanlifers and car dwellers is becoming harder to find.

In this episode, we sit down with Heaven, a full-time traveler who has found creative solutions to staying on the road. From house sitting and pet sitting in Hawaii and Costa Rica, to storing her van and taking temporary breaks from nomadic life, she shares how these opportunities provide rent-free housing, showers, rest, and space to work all while traveling.

We also dive into the reality of making money on the road. Beyond remote jobs and freelance work, many nomads turn to alternative side hustles to sustain their journey. This conversation is about empowerment, resilience, and redefining what it means to live free when traditional systems are closing doors.

✨ If you’re navigating the challenges of Vanlife in 2025 public land closures, skyrocketing rents, or struggling to find safe parking this episode is for you.

Other Links: https://linktr.ee/wildxheaven?utm_source=linktree_profile_share

More Ways to Listen to the Podcast: 

⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/theknockpod⁠

⁠Follow the hosts

🚐 Kyla – Don’t get Vanboozled! ⁠⁠

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Vanboozledvanlife

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/vanboozled⁠

Everything Else: https://beacons.ai/vanboozled

🚐 Bunny – Beyond the road, beyond the rules, beyond the 🐂 💩⁠ 

Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@bunnyandbeyond⁠

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bunnyandbeyond⁠

Everything Else: https://linktr.ee/bunnyandbeyond

#Vanlife2025 #VanlifeChallenges #NomadLife #FreeCamping #HouseSitting #PetSitting #NomadIncome #VanlifeCommunity

Think you need Wi-Fi or a fancy rig to fund your Van life? Think again. Katie lives and works full-time out of a minivan while running oversized load escorts across the country as a certified POPEVO (Pilot Escort Vehicle Operator). In this episode, we break down how she makes it work, how much you can earn, and what kind of training it takes. Whether you're new to tiny living or looking for a more stable way to make money on the road, this is a must-listen.

More Ways to Listen to the Podcast: 

⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/theknockpod⁠

⁠Follow the hosts

🚐 Kyla – Don’t get Vanboozled! ⁠⁠

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Vanboozledvanlife

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/vanboozled⁠

Everything Else: https://beacons.ai/vanboozled

🚐 Bunny – Beyond the road, beyond the rules, beyond the 🐂 💩⁠ 

Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@bunnyandbeyond⁠

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bunnyandbeyond⁠

Everything Else: https://linktr.ee/bunnyandbeyond

Work camping is one of the most effective ways to stay on the road without paying for campsites  and still make money. In this episode of our Nomad Solutions series, we talk to two real vanlifers with different experiences using work camping and campground hosting as a tool to stay mobile, safe, and self-reliant.

We cover:

• How to find legit workamping jobs

• What the work is actually like

• How much you can expect to make

• Trade-offs of living where you work

• Whether it’s sustainable for full-time nomads

This episode is all about real-world tools to stay free, mobile, and financially afloat even as laws tighten and public land disappears.

More Ways to Listen to the Podcast: 

⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/theknockpod⁠

⁠Follow the hosts

🚐 Kyla – Don’t get Vanboozled! ⁠⁠

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Vanboozledvanlife

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/vanboozled⁠

Everything Else: https://beacons.ai/vanboozled

🚐 Bunny – Beyond the road, beyond the rules, beyond the 🐂 💩⁠ 

Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@bunnyandbeyond⁠

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bunnyandbeyond⁠

Everything Else: https://linktr.ee/bunnyandbeyond

Mikey’s links: 

https://youtube.com/@mikeystravelingtails?si=wVHkoTx-MSo1LwZE

https://instagram.com/Mikeystravelingtails

https://tiktok.com/@mikeystravelingtails

👇 Got your own work camping story? Drop it in the comments, we might feature it.

#Workamping #VanlifeSolutions #NomadJobs #CampgroundHost #RVLife

Van life Solutions in a Changing World a limited podcast series for nomads, full-time travelers, and van lifers facing the growing restrictions on vehicle dwelling and public land access.

With laws like Idaho’s SB1142 banning overnight vehicle camping, and increasing pressure from cities and federal agencies, we’re entering a new era ,one where self-sustained van life is no longer guaranteed.

So, what now? That’s what this series is here to explore. In each episode, we’ll dive into practical, tested alternatives that nomads across the country are using to stay mobile, legal, and housed from house sitting and work camping to renting private land and building community-owned spaces.

This isn’t a ‘how to live in a van’ podcast. This is a ‘how to keep living in one’ podcast. Let’s talk solutions.

Rover Profile: https://www.rover.com/sit/annala06786 

Become a Wag Walker: https://wagwalking.com/dog-walker?code=MAKAYLA81492

sign up and book directly with Anna https://wagwalking.app.link/jALbfqHafVb

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@vanlifelowlife?si=5__bTVvJ8qJBqL-J 

Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@vanlifelowlife?_t=ZT-8yHiPEdAUOc&_r=1

#VanlifeSolutions #NomadLife #Housesitting #TrustedHousesitters #VanlifePodcast #PetSitting #PublicLandsCrisis #OffGridLiving #VanlifeCommunity #AlternativeHousing

Why do some Vanlife creators go viral overnight while others struggle for years to be seen? In this episode, we sit down with creators Bunny, Kyla, and the couple behind Rangeless to talk honestly about the unseen hustle of content creation in the Vanlife world.We’re breaking down:The difference between viral success and real sustainabilityHow aesthetics (hello, blonde Sprinter couples) shape who gets seenThe tech + tools it actually takes to make content on the roadSEO, editing, multi-platform strategy, and the emotional labor of storytellingWhy being authentic often means being overlookedWe also cover the cold truth: most Vanlife creators aren’t making a ton of money, while some are barely surviving. But we keep creating, because someone out there needs these stories.🎙️ Subscribe to support REAL Vanlife voices:Bunny’s Channel https://youtube.com/@rangeless_?si=U9sjSE7H3w1lyr9oKyla’s Channel https://youtube.com/@vanboozledvanlife?si=gviiHUffx37IVDn2Rangeless https://youtube.com/@rangeless_?si=U9sjSE7H3w1lyr9o🧠 This episode is for:Aspiring Vanlife creatorsAnyone wondering why their content isn’t growingPeople curious about the reality behind the Vanlife aestheticCreators tired of being unseen in the algorithm💬 Drop a comment below: What’s the hardest part of content creation for YOU?🔔 Like + Subscribe + Share to help us keep telling the stories that don’t always trend, but always matter.#VanlifeCreators #VanlifePodcast #ContentCreationTruth #RealVanlife

Is nomadic parenting empowering… or exploitative?In this episode of the podcast, we unpack a conversation the vanlife and RV community needs to have: where do we draw the line between sharing our journey and exploiting our children for content?

🎧 We explore:

• The beauty of raising kids on the road

• When documenting becomes monetizing

• Red flags in family content creation

• Consent, digital privacy, and long-term harm

• What ethical nomadic parenting really looks like

As vanlifers ourselves, we’ve seen both ends of the spectrum. This isn’t about cancel culture, it’s about protecting kids, reclaiming the narrative, and doing better.

More Ways to Listen to the Podcast: 

⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/theknockpod⁠

⁠Follow the hosts

🚐 Kyla – Don’t get Vanboozled! ⁠⁠

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Vanboozledvanlife

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/vanboozled⁠

Everything Else: https://beacons.ai/vanboozled

🚐 Bunny – Beyond the road, beyond the rules, beyond the 🐂 💩⁠ 

Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@bunnyandbeyond⁠

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bunnyandbeyond⁠

Everything Else: https://linktr.ee/bunnyandbeyond

👇 Join the conversation in the comments — especially if you're a nomadic parent, former influencer kid, or someone raising kids on the road. We want to hear from you.

🔔 Don’t forget to like, share, and hit subscribe for more deep dives on the intersection of vanlife, ethics, and real-world challenges.

#Vanlife #FamilyVanlife #RVLifeWithKids #NomadicParenting #ChildInfluencers

Curious about the urban stealth camping as a van lifer? This episode breaks down everything you need to know to camp safely and smartly without drawing unwanted attention. We share practical tips, real stories from the road, and the do’s and don’ts of camping in cities and urban spaces. Plus, hilarious and relatable banter with Kyla and Bunny that’ll make you feel like you’re right there with us. Drop your stealth camping questions below and hit subscribe for more van dwelling content every week!

PARKING SPACE RENTALS:

Spacer – https://www.spacer.com

ParkHere app – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.parkhere.mobile

SpotHero - https://spothero.com

FREE CAMPING RESOURCES:

My Nomad Directory – https://www.mynomaddirectory.com

iOverlander – https://www.ioverlander.com 

FreeCampsites.net - https://www.freecampsites.net

More Ways to Listen to the Podcast: 

⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/theknockpod⁠

⁠Follow the hosts

🚐 Kyla – Don’t get Vanboozled! ⁠⁠

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Vanboozledvanlife

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/vanboozled⁠

Everything Else: https://beacons.ai/vanboozled

🚐 Bunny – Beyond the road, beyond the rules, beyond the 🐂 💩⁠ 

Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@bunnyandbeyond⁠

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bunnyandbeyond⁠

Everything Else: https://linktr.ee/bunnyandbeyond

#StealthCamping #VanLifeTips #UrbanCamping #VanLifeHacks #NomadLife #CampingAnywhere #VanLifeCommunity

Vanlife + Summer Heat = Survival Mode 🥵 If you’re living on the road without shore power, staying cool isn’t just about comfort — it’s about survival. In this episode, we break down real strategies, honest pros & cons, and budget-to-baller cooling solutions for summer in a van.

We cover:

✔️ Power consumption vs cooling power

✔️ Budget-friendly gear & high-end AC setups

✔️ Health risks (for you and your pets)

✔️ What works in dry vs humid climates

✔️ Smart planning to stay safe & sleep well

🌿Whether you're full-time, weekend warrior, or planning your first summer road trip, this episode is your heatwave handbook.

More Ways to Listen to the Podcast: 

⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/theknockpod⁠

>>>>>⁠Follow the hosts<<<<<

🚐 Kyla – Don’t get Vanboozled! ⁠⁠

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Vanboozledvanlife

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/vanboozled⁠

Everything Else: https://beacons.ai/vanboozled

🚐 Bunny – Beyond the road, beyond the rules, beyond the 🐂 💩⁠ 

Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@bunnyandbeyond⁠

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bunnyandbeyond⁠

Everything Else: https://linktr.ee/bunnyandbeyond

#VanlifeTips  #SummerVanlife  #VanlifeGear  #OffGridLiving  #StayCool  #VanlifeWithPets  #HeatwaveHacks  

#NomadLife  #VanlifeSummer  #ZeroBreeze  

#EcoFlowWave2  #VanlifePodcast  #VanBuild  

#FullTimeVanlife  

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Iman—a survivor, writer, mother, and van lifer—who bravely shares her journey of being “thrown away” after a narcissistic marriage that spanned continents. From finding love in Egypt that would soon reveal to be anything but, to rebuilding her life on her own terms in the U.S., Iman opens up about the financial, emotional and even physical toll of narcissistic abuse, the healing process, and how van life became her path to freedom and self-reliance.

We dive into the real definition of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), how women, and even men can be victims of  partners and parents with NPD. In this episode we discover van life can be a legitimate escape route and healing tool for survivors.

Whether you're healing from toxic relationships, exploring alternative lifestyles, or seeking stories of transformation and resilience—you don’t want to miss this conversation.

I Will Ruin Your Life: The Invisible Scars of Narcissistic Abuse - Read Now: https://www.amazon.com/Will-Ruin-Your-Life-Narcissistic-ebook/dp/B08F4MYVQZ

Iman’s Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzzuTxQldka-FG1_6erNC7g?view_as=subscriber

Iman’s Patreon: https://patreon.com/discardedwife?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

Iman’s Socials & More

https://linktr.ee/discardedwife

More Ways to Listen to the Podcast: 

⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/theknockpod⁠

>>>>>⁠Follow the hosts<<<<<

🚐 Kyla – Don’t get Vanboozled! ⁠⁠

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Vanboozledvanlife

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/vanboozled⁠

Everything Else: https://beacons.ai/vanboozled

🚐 Bunny – Beyond the road, beyond the rules, beyond the 🐂 💩⁠ 

Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@bunnyandbeyond⁠

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bunnyandbeyond⁠

Everything Else: https://linktr.ee/bunnyandbeyond

#narcissisticabuse #vanlifecommunity #narcissistawareness #survivorstories #womenwhorise #healingjourney #vanlifewomen #toxicrelationshiprecovery #emotionalabuseawareness #vanlifeheals